CONCERT PROGRAMMEMUSICAL CONNECTIONS - FROM BARTOK TO MOERAN,AND OSBORNE TO CHOPINTUESDAY 26 JULY 2011

60TH ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE

DUBLIN2011

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CONCERT PROGRAMME18.30 Examination Hall, Trinity College, Dublin

Ferenc Szûcs celloUna Hunt piano

Musical connections - from Bartok to Moeran, and Osborne to Chopin

This programme celebrates musical relationships between Ireland and thecomposers Béla Bartbk and Fryderyk Chopin

Béla Bartok (1881-1945) Rhapsody No. 1 (1928)Moderato - Allegretto moderato

Ernest J. Moeran (1894-1950) Sonata for cello and piano (1947)Tempo moderato - Adagio - Allegro

Interval

George A. Osborne (1806-1893) Sonata for cello and piano (c1852)Allegro moderato - Andante - Allegro

Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849) Sonata for piano and cello op. 65 (1846)Allegro moderato - Scherzo - Largo - Finale: Allegro

PROGRAMME NOTES

Bartok: Rhapsody No. 1The music of Hungarian composer and pianist BélaBartôk (1881-1945) reflects two streams ofmodernism that had dramatically changed thesound of music in the early part of the twentiethcentury. Bartok was a central force in thebreakdown of the diatonic system of harmony andthe revival of nationalism as a source for musicalinspiration. In his search for new forms of tonalityBartok turned to Hungarian folk music, as well asto other folk music of the Carpathian Basin andincorporated folk modes and irregular rhythmicpatterns into his highly original scores. Through thecollection and analytical study of folk music, he isregarded, along with Kodäly, as one of the foundersof ethnomusicology.

Bartok composed two Rhapsodies for violin andpiano (there are also versions for violin andorchestra) in which he incorporated melodies, fromRumania, Hungary and the eastern Czech region.Written in 1928, Rhapsody No. 1 was dedicated tothe Hungarian virtuoso violinist, Joseph Szigeti,who was a close friend of Bartok's. The cello andpiano version to be heard this evening wascompleted in 1929. The piece consists of a pair ofmovements. The style and character derive fromthe Hungarian national dance, the Czardas, whichalternates a slow section ̀ Lassû' and a fast one'Friss'.The title, 'Rhapsody', which had been usedearlier by Liszt, is a reference to the free structureand dramatic contrasts between the movements.The main theme of the first movement (Lassû)exhibits a certain Gypsy influence in its sharplydotted rhythms and exotic melodic lines and thesecond movement (Friss) is a brilliant procession ofvibrant folk dance melodies demandingconsiderable feats of virtuosity from the performer.

Ferenc Szücs, May 2011

E.J. Moeran: Sonata for cello and pianoErnest John Moeran was born in Isleworth,Middlesex, the son of an Irish protestantclergyman, but he spent a sizeable portion of hisyouth on the Norfolk coast, where his fatherbecame Rector of the remote village of Bacton.Later in life, Norfolk and Ireland exerted theirinfluence on Moeran and his music. He attendedschool at Uppingham where William SterndaleBennett's grandson Robert was music master. Itwas here that Moeran began to compose followedby studies at the Royal College of Music with theIrish composer, Charles Villiers Stanford. On theoutbreak of war, he became a despatch rider. Theeffects of a head wound suffered in 1917 remainedwith him to the end of his life and were almostcertainly contributory to his early death.

The folk-song flavour permeating much of Moeran'smusic resulted from his interest in folk musiccollecting; this flourished when he was posted toNorfolk in his early years in the army. Subsequently,Moeran was drawn to Ireland which in later yearsbecame his permanent home. He often describedthe 'wild seaboards of Co Kerry' as the principalinspiration for his music. The composer died atKenmare on 1 December 1950, falling from the pierinto the estuary during a storm. The cause of deathwas given at the coroner's inquest as a cerebralhaemorrhage suffered before falling into the water.He is buried in Kenmare, near the wild seascapesand the 'mountain country' he loved so well.Moeran married the cellist Peers Coetmore just afew years before his death, and she became theinspiration for his Cello Sonata, which remains hislast large-scale work. The sonata has beendescribed as a 'finely-wrought' work and is ofunique character, full of brooding drama andpervasive movement and quite unlike anything elsewritten by a British composer of the period.

G. A. Osborne: Sonata for cello and pianoGeorge Alexander Osborne is a rather unfamiliarname. Despite the popularity of thispianist-composer's music during his lifetime, it isnow quite forgotten. He was born in 1806 inLimerick where his father was cathedral organist at

St Mary's. Osborne left for Europe at the age of 18,travelling first to Brussels before settling in Paris.Here he studied with the renowned virtuoso,Kalkbrenner, and later became of one of the finestexponents of Kalkbrenner's playing style in France.He met Fryderyk Chopin soon after the Pole'sarrival in the city and they became close friends.Osborne was one of six pianists who performed atChopin's Salle Pleyel debut recital in Paris in 1832.It is unlikely that their friendship remained as closeafter Osborne's move to London, in the late 1840s.However, Osborne recalled in detail a meeting withChopin in Manchester on the latter's visit toEngland and Scotland in the year before his death.

The sonata for cello and piano in B flat major wasthe only work of its kind written by Osborne and inthis respect parallels Chopin's cello sonatacompleted in 1846. While written c1852, Osborne'swork was not published until 1876 and was furthertranscribed as a clarinet sonata in 1892. The moststriking influence in the cello sonata is that ofSchumann, whose music enjoyed universalpopularity in England in the latter half of thenineteenth century. The opening movement ischaracterised by a refined, lyrical mood. The Gminor second movement features exotic swayingphrases while the final rondo has a catchy,familiar-sounding air in gentle syncopation.

Chopin: Sonata for piano and cello op. 65Chopin's cello sonata was written in the years1845-1846, four years before his death. Its firstcomplete performance in 1847, was given by thecomposer and his friend the cellist, AugusteFranchomme, to whom the work is dedicated. Itwas Liszt who had introduced Chopin toFranchomme many years earlier. Franchomme wasa quiet, unassuming young man; they immediatelyliked one another and struck up a firm friendshipwhich lasted for the remainder of Chopin's life.

Despite being written at a time when Chopin'spowers were beginning to fail, the cello sonatarepresents a new departure, both in form andcontent. Chopin had not written anything for cello inwell over 10 years. The previous work took the form

of a collaboration with Franchomme - a 'Grand DuoConcertante' with themes from Meyerbeer's Robertle Diable. But on that occasion, Franchomme hadwritten most of the cello part. By the time he wasworking on the cello sonata, Chopin had developeda familiarity with the instrument through regularperformances with Franchomme but still, hisinspiration was drying up and he found it hard tofinish the work. He wrote to his sister Ludwicka: 'Iwrite a little and cross out a lot... I throw it into acorner and then take it up again.'

Despite these worries, the finished work showscomplete mastery of form. The first movement ismercurial, ranging from agitated to noble, and fromthe dramatic to the gentle. The structure is alsounusual, for Chopin shortens the recapitulation ofthe opening movement, driving it onwards to theconcluding chords. The lighter texture of thefollowing Scherzo provides contrast despite usingprevious material. But, it is the Largo that providesthe epicentre of the work, representing Chopin athis most memorable. The cello's wistful main idea,marked cantabile and dolce, sings gracefully abovethe piano's accompaniment, and grows to a climaxbefore falling away to the quiet close. The vigorousFinale derives much of its energy from Chopin'scontrast of triplet and dotted rhythms. A solemnmarch-like passage provides a measure of contrastbefore it draws to a close with the animated coda.

Una Hunt, June 2011

Ferenc Szücs O r c h e s t r a , National Arts Centre Orchestra in Canadaand the Radio Symphony Orchestra in Holland.

Ferenc Szücs is SeniorLecturer and Director ofthe MA programme inClassical StringPerformance at the IrishWorld Academy of Musicand Dance at theUniversity of Limerick.

Born in Hungary, he studied at the Béla BartokConservatoire and at the Franz Liszt Academy ofMusic in Budapest and won the prestigiousHungarian State Award for musical excellence,particularly for the interpretation of Bach.

He has performed in over 50 countries and hasassociations with numerous orchestras, ensemblesand institutes worldwide. Ferenc has appeared assoloist in major concert halls and given masterclasses in Hungary, England, Ireland, Italy, Chinaand the United States and has coached youthorchestras including the World Youth Orchestra,Musica Europa.

He was invited to join the Hungarian StateOrchestra while still studying at the Liszt Academy.This was followed by his appointment as PrincipalCellist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London.He played with many of the great conductors of ourtime including Solti, Dorâti, Maazel, Wand, Haitink,Ozawa, Rozhdestvensky, Davis and Pritchard. Healso performed a wide range of contemporarymusic working with composers such asLutoslawski, Boulez, Messiaen, Tippet,Stockhausen, Xenakis, Birtwistle and Schnittke.

Ferenc Szücs has been principal cellist with theLondon Festival Orchestra, the New Queens HallOrchestra and the Oxford Orchestra of Camera. Healso played as guest principal with the RoyalPhilharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra,Royal Opera House Covent Garden, English NationalOpera, Mozart Festival Orchestra, NationalSymphony Orchestra, English Symphonia, Orchestraof St John's, London Mozart Players, Irish Chamber

He has been a member of various chamber groupsand collaborations, currently Triantân Piano Trio.With the Fibonacci Sequence, the London FestivalEnsemble and the New Queens Hall Quartet and theBach Ensemble in Hungary he made radiobroadcasts and recordings by Bach, Handel,Mendelssohn, Saint-Saens, Elgar, Schubert andDamase for CD labels ASV, BMG, Hyperion, ArteNova, Future Classics and RTE Lyric FM.

Ferenc Szücs has appeared as soloist and chambermusician at major international festivals andcontributed to seminars and symposiums in Ireland.UK and USA; he was involved in collaborativeresearch projects-performances withchoreographers Mary Nunan and Yoshiko Chuma andis currently working towards his doctorate with Prof.Susan Melrose at Middlesex University in London.

Una Hunt

Una Hunt is one ofIreland's leading pianistsand has performed oftenwith the NationalSymphony Orchestra ofIreland, the RTÉ ConcertOrchestra and the Ulster

Orchestra. She has played recital programmes inBritain, Ireland and the USA and has touredthroughout Europe and the USA with her violinistsister Fionnuala. She has also appeared in concertand on television with notable soloists includingflautists James Galway and William Bennett andviolist Bruno Giuranna, and is currently a memberof Triantân Piano Trio. Una holds a KonzertfachDiploma from the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna,Austria and a PhD in Performance from NUIMaynooth. In 2007, Una received an honorarydoctorate of music from Queens University Belfastfor services to the Performing Arts. She wascreated 'Adjunct Professor' of music at UCD, twoyears ago.

Taking an active interest in the music of Irishcomposers has led to a number of ground-breakingworld-premiere recordings. These include IrishFantasy (Continuum, 1992), The Music of JoanTrimble (Naxos/Marco Polo, 1999), Complete PianoMusic of E. J. Moeran (ASV/Sanctuary, 2003),Shower of Pearls, the Music of George AlexanderOsborne (RTÉ lyric fm, 2004), Fallen Leaves from anIrish Album (RTÉ lyric fm, 2006) and My GentleHarp, the complete collection of Moore's IrishMelodies and the Square Piano Recordings ofselected Irish Melodies produced for DIT (ThomasMoore Festival, 2008 and 2009).

As music consultant to the National Library ofIreland, Una has spearheaded developments withthe Music Library Project. She project-managed thesetting up of the new National Archive of IrishComposers, a digital archive of music from theNational Library of Ireland which went online lastChristmas. As Artistic Director of the MusicalReflections concert series, she showcased historic

Irish musical figures and composers at the Libraryin 2007, and in 2008 presented Gems of Irish Operashowcasing an unknown operetta by MichaelWilliam Balfe in the year of the bicentenary of thecomposer's birth. This presentation wasparticularly historic as Balfe's operetta may havereceived its Irish premiere at this concert but hascertainly not been performed in Ireland for 150years. Una was also Artistic Director of the ThomasMoore Festival which has presented many eventssince 2008 in celebration of two hundred years ofMoore's Irish Melodies. Her experience as aproducer and broadcaster has led to many radioand documentary programmes on Irish composersand their music including the recent six-programmeseries on Moore's Irish Melodies for RTÉ lyric fmwhere her critically-acclaimed series ChopinUncovered has also been re-broadcast recently.Next year, Una will present a feature on thenineteenth-century pianist-composer FannyRobinson and record her music for RTE Lyric fm.

For more information or to listen to sample tracks,visit: www.unahunt.com

May 2011

CONCERT PROGRAMMEA COLLECTION OF THE MOST CELEBRATED IRISH TUNESTHURSDAY 28 JULY 2011

60TH ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE

DUBLIN2011

l e i

CONCERT PROGRAMME

18.30 Examination Hall, Trinity College, Dublin

A collection of the most celebrated Irish tunes

Presenter Nicholas CarolanHarp Siobhân ArmstrongSong Aine IA Cheallaigh

Fiddle PaulO'ShaughnessyFlute Paul McGrattan

Bärenreiterwww.baerenreiter.corrm

BACKGROUND THE PERFORMERS

The earliest collection of Irish musicA Collection of the Most Celebrated IrishTunes Proper for the Violin, German Fluteor Hautboy was published in Dublin in 1724by the musical-instrument makers John andWilliam Neal, a father and son whodominated the Dublin music trade in theearly eighteenth century. On examination,the forty-nine melodies of the collectionprove to be Irish traditional harp tunesand the melodies of Irish-language songs.This presentation consists of representativepieces from the collection, sung in Irishand played on traditional harp, fiddle andflute, and placed in their social andpolitical contexts.

Nicholas Carolan PresenterFrom Drogheda, Co Louth, Nicholas is director of theIrish Traditional Music Archive in Dublin. Best knownas a broadcaster on the English- and Irish-languageIrish national television channels RTE. and TG4, he isthe editor of A Collection of the Most Celebrated IrishTunes (1724).

Siobhân Armstrong HarpBorn in Dublin, Siobhän teaches and works as afreelance performer, mainly in Europe. She foundedthe Historical Harp Society of Ireland and is thedirector of Scoil na gClâirseach: Summer School ofEarly Irish Harp. She plays a copy of the medievalTrinity College harp — the national emblem of Ireland— strung in brass and 18-carat gold, which is to beheard on her solo album Clâirseach na hÉireann: TheHarp of Ireland.

Aine Ui Cheallaigh SongLiving and teaching in the gaeltacht (Irish-speakingdistrict) of An Rinn, Co Waterford, Aine is aprize-winning singer of traditional songs in Irish, soloand unaccompanied. She is well known at festivalsand workshops throughout the country, and hasrecorded several albums, including Idir DhâChomhairle: In Two Minds.

Paul O'Shaughnessy FiddlePaul learned traditional fiddle and otherinstruments in his native Dublin, from his motheramong others. He has a particular interest in thefiddle playing of her county of Donegal and hasbeen a member of the internationally knownDonegal group Altan and the Dublin group Beginish.His solo album Stay Another While is one of themany albums on which he is to be heard. He iscurrent completing a PhD in Irish-language studies.

Paul McGrattan FluteAlso from Dublin, Paul began to learn traditionalflute in the city, from an uncle, but has since livedand played in other parts of Ireland and has been aflute-maker. A member of the group Beginish, he isto be heard on many recordings, including his soloalbum The Frost is All Over. He teaches the flute andis director of the Dublin traditional-music courseCeolt6ir at the Ballyfermot College of FurtherEducation.

FACSIMILE EDITION

Music has been performed in oral tradition in Irelandnow for some ten thousand years, but it was 1724before the first notated collection of Irish musicappeared. Consisting of forty-nine tunes and far olderthan any surviving manuscript collection, A Collectionof the Most Celebrated Irish Tunes Proper for theViolin, German Flute or Hautboy was published thatyear in the yard of Christ Church Cathedral in centralDublin by the musical-instrument makers John andWilliam Neal, a father and son of obscure origins whodominated the Dublin music trade in the first half ofthe eighteenth century.

Sold for the new and fashionable instruments of theviolin, German flute and oboe, the collection proves onexamination to consist almost entirely of traditionalIrish harp music and the melodies of traditionalIrish-language songs, many with titles in Irish. Thefamous blind harper Turlough Carolan, who composedseveral of the tunes, was alive at the time of theirpublication here, aged fifty-four. Many of the tunesreveal a sympathy with the defeated but still powerfulJacobite cause, surprising in a publication produced inthe heart of ascendancy Dublin.

A new facsimile reprint of the Celebrated Irish Tuneshas now been published by the Irish Traditional MusicArchive. It has been made from the single survivingcopy of the original publication, and it makes generally

available again a collection of Irish traditional musicthat was current three hundred and more years ago,music that differs greatly from the Irish traditionalmusic of today. A document of social and politicalsignificance, the collection is chiefly important as afoundation source of Irish music, offering insights intoits distant past and providing melodies for modernre-creation and study.

The illustrated introduction and notes on the tunes byNicholas Carolan, Director of the Irish Traditional MusicArchive, contain new information on John and WilliamNeal, the earliest important publishers of music inIreland, and on the state of music in the capital and thecountry in the late seventeenth and early eighteenthcenturies. As an aid towards the re-creation andunderstanding of the tunes in the collection, earlyIrish-language song texts have also been provided,with translations, for the some half of the tunes whichare song airs rather than instrumental melodies.

ORDER DETAILS

TITLE A Collection of the Most Celebrated Irish TunesProper for the Violin, German Flute or Hautboy,published by John & William Neal, Dublin, 1724EDITION Second facsimile ed.EDITOR Nicholas CarolanPUBLISHER Irish Traditional Music Archive inassociation with the Folk Music Society of Ireland,73 Merrion Square, Dublin 2, IrelandSPECIFICATIONS Hardback, 26cm., xiv+118 pp.,illustrated introduction, music (49 melodies), noteson the tunes, appendixes, bibliography, indexesISBN 978-0-9532704-3-9PRICE €30P&P CHARGES (750G)Ireland €7UK & Europe €8Rest of World €11ORDERS/PAYMENT OPTIONS Irish Traditional MusicArchive, 73 Merrion Square, Dublin 2, Irelandtelephone +353-1-6619699, fax +353-1-662 4585e-mail: sales@itma.ie, web site: www.itma.iePrepayment by cheque/draft/credit card (Mastercard,Visa) or PayPal on www.itma.ie required except fromlibraries/ institutionsDISCOUNT FOR FRIENDS Members of the ITMA supportgroup Friends of the Archive can purchase thepublication for €24 a discount of 20%. To join theFriends of the Archive go to www.itma.ie; the annualsubscription rate is €20/€10

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